The present invention relates to a container that has particular application for preventing the spilling of liquid therefrom where the container is in use, for example, when used by children, in moving vehicles, or when the user is lying in bed.
Prior to the instant invention, several so-called spill-proof containers have been developed, but none of these prior known devices have had particular success in the commercial use thereof because of the difficulties in preventing actual spillage of liquid from the container under all circumstances. One such prior known cup is illustrated in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,390, to KENNEDY, which discloses a container having a bottom portion formed in two integral sections. The lowermost section of the bottom portion of the KENNEDY cup was designed to receive the liquid therein, while the integral uppermost section provided a receiver for the liquid when the liquid was tipped in use. As illustrated in the KENNEDY patent, a cap is attached to the top section and includes a tube that extends downwardly therein. When the container is accidentally tipped in use and the liquid enters the upper section of the bottom portion, the tube acts to prevent the liquid from discharging from the container. However, if the user of the cup fills the bottom section beyond the upper level thereof so that the liquid enters the top section, then tipping of the container results in spillage through the tube. Because special instructions were required to advise the user not to fill the bottom section above the top level thereof, the so-called spill-proof cup as illustrated in the KENNEDY patent was not readily accepted by the trade.
Other kinds of containers that have spill-proof features as represented by several of the patents cited in the KENNEDY patent are known in the art, but none of these prior constructions are particularly relevant with respect to the subject invention.
As will be described hereinafter, the non-spill container of the subject invention overcomes the inherent problems as associated with the spill-proof cup of the prior l art and provides a container that is essentially fool-proof in use and prevents spilling of liquid from the container when it is tipped or turned upside down during use.